Milan Fashion Week curtailed by virus, opens with 16 shows

MILAN (AP) — Milan fashion houses were charting a path out of the pandemic that included a menswear calendar this month packed with enough live events to entice fashionistas to once again book trans-Atlantic flights. But that was before the omicron surge.

Milan Fashion Week previews for Fall-Winter 2022-23 open Friday with significantly fewer physical events than initially planned, and access to those is severely limited by pandemic restrictions as Italy’s virus infection tally hit record highs almost daily.

Global powerhouses like Zegna, Fendi, Dolce&Gabbana and Prada will still host live shows, but Milan mainstay Giorgio Armani canceled entirely and other brands scrapped runway shows for digital. The more than 40 planned live events have been reduced by one-quarter, with 16 live runway shows going ahead alongside physical presentations.

“The positive thing is that many important brands decided to hold runway shows, and this is a good sign,’’ said Carlo Capasa, the president of the Italian National Fashion Chamber. “Fashion is the second most important industry in Italy. It is important to remember that we must live with this virus, and that we have to find a way to protect people’s health while also continuing to work, to allow this industry to continue to work.”

Paris also is confirming a slimmed-down selection of runway shows Jan. 18-23, followed by haute couture, while London canceled its January calendar, which will be combined with women's previews in February.

The Italian fashion scene has been buffeted by the pandemic since Italy recorded the first locally transmitted case of the virus in the West during in the middle of fashion week in February 2020. Armani was the first to close his showroom to a live audience, streaming the Fall-Winter 2020-21...